Knitted red fluffy jumper with cables

 I had some lighting problems when we took these photos. Winter light is not good it seems. I feel this jumper is a success despite I know there are several mistakes in the pattern.  I found it really difficult keeping count of the rows. I have now been given some row couter markers which will help loads in the future. Its really hard when you leave this to go back and accurately count where you are. Of course only I will notice the mistakes but they will probably annoy me for the next 10-15 years.Thats how long my last similar jumper has lasted, though its not at all fluffy now and looks like a cheap acrylic thats worn out and I just use it in the garden nowadays.

I started this jumper just 2 weeks before Christmas - hence the bright red seemed apt - so its taken me quite a long time to knit this really. Lots of cables!
 
I saved the pattern from my Mum's Womans Weekly magazine back in the 80s. It actually says its a nice fluffy warm jumper for the coming January days and has an advert on the back of the pattern that runs out in January 1987 so I expect this is from winter 1986. The model has a proper "Lady Di" hairstyle!

I am not a fan of British royalty at all. They are just there.  I am not interested in following what they do. I do like this pattern though expect I may not repeat this knitting.

I suppose it comes down to how much I end up liking this jumper. I will keep this old pattern anyway since its not taking up that much space. And its another one off my list of New Years resolutions - where I said I would try to use all my old magazines/ patterns in the next few years rather than just leave them in storage unused for the rest of my life.

 

The pattern is a mix of three cable plaits and normal two strand cables but instead of going round and round you go back and forth to create a kind of snake pattern which became very popular in the 80s.

Front and back are the same. The patter had raglan sleeves my version has two rectangles for front and back and tapered sleeves. I prefer this style and also I was unsure if using a smaller size of needle would change the dimensions for a raglan. This is easier to judge.

 I used the same amount of yarn as the pattern said but not the same brand. This is new yarn - as in current mohair from Ebay. Its unbranded and about £30 for 10 x 50g balls. Very expensive next to my other knits.



I bought the yarn back in 2015 with some birthday money. That was before I discovered second hand vintage yarns. Its not a yarn I would recommend because the back of this jumper is full of knotted yarn. I seemed to not have a single ball without at least three knots. I actually re-knotted each as well to ensure the knots it came with do not come undone whilst wearing. Its annoying when a yarn has this many knots to each ball. I would not have been able to finish without buying some other yarn which I would not expect to match if I had kept the knots to the edges either. I have been slack here and not knitted the lengths of knotted yarn in or even darned them in, Only I am going to see this. Though I may eventually darn them in when I have time. I usually do.

I also sized the needles down. The pattern says 7mm. Well, I have never ever knitted this kind of mohair on such big needles.

Or only when making deliberately punk style holey jumpers such as my recent black glittery jumper.



Generally patterns for mohair type yarns say 4.5mm - 6mm and every size in between so I decided to use 5mm for the ribbing and 6mm for the cables and it turned out a reasonably thick and warm cable mohair which I think it would not have been on a size bigger. Its turned out smaller I suppose but actually is probably better since like this it will work for a work wear jumper whereas a huge baggy thing won't cut it at work. This will be Ok with suiting trousers in an office.

Yes it would have grown quicker as well on 7mm needles, but also it would have worn quicker and I want these jumpers I am knitting to last me till I retire when I should have more time for this kind of crafting.

I was a bit disapointed that in the size I knitted which was the smaller size the side cables do not match properly so the pattern is out. Its not me here either this just does not quite work and I think would be better with a few stitches in plain reversed stocking stitch. Still again its probably only me (and my Mum who is a brilliant aran knitter) will notice that. I deliberately did the sleeves longer than usual because that is how I like them best. I hate constantly pulling my sleeves down and like them half way over my hands.

Ah and the leggings here are my lovely black-black ones I made last week. They are definitely proving very wearable.

Its really good I finally finished this because I now at last after many many applications have a job. I do not yet have a start date but it will be soon. Hopefully I might manage to knit just one more jumper before then. Thats the plan anyway, because once I am knackered working I find it literally takes me years to knit stuff. Also I seem to lose my expertise if you know what I mean. Until recently I just could not face things like cables but now I am really enjoying them again. I used the knit loads of cable jumpers once upon a time. Not spending most of every day applying for work will mean I am now going to have some time for crafting though so I am aiming to fit as much as possible into the next couple of weeks. I will let you know how I get on with that.

Have a lovely week

Bracken